Car-axle



' 1. W. LBW1S.v

GAR AXLB.'

No. 357,612. Patented Peb. 15, 1887.

.0.. w1 MNN A ATTORNEYS.

N PETERS. PhokoLhhogr-.lphen W D C UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC IV. LEWIS, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

CAR-AXLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 357,612, dated February 15, 1887.

(No model.)

To (LZZ wwnt it may concern.-`

Be it known that I, ISAAC W. LEWIS, of the city of Portland, in the county of Multnomah, in the State of Oregon, have invented a new and Improved Gar-Axle, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Ihe object of myinvention is to construct a divided car-axle possessing the strength and durability of a solid axle with but a slightincrease in weight, size, and cost over the usual solid axle, and embodying all the advantages of one wheel moving independently of the other.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of my new axle, showing a part of each wheel. Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged transverse sectional elevations taken on the lines .t and y y, respectively, of Fig. 1.

-The axle will be made in two pieces, a tapering piece or spindle, A, and a shell, B. A lling, O, of Babbitt metal, zinc, or similar material, is poured between the two parts A and B, to form a long bearing for the spindle, as hereinafter described. The spindle A should be cast the same size as the inside of the shell B, and then turned true and smooth from the joint to the annular ridges a, formed on the larger part of the axle, next to the wheelY D. This turning will reduce the size of the spindle sufficiently to allow the thin filling C, of zinc or its equivalent, to be applied inside of the shell, which filling metal is poured in a molten state into the cavity it occupies after the spindle A is placed within the shell. The lling G adheres to the inner surface of the shell B, but not to the spindle, so the spindle is free to turn in the lling as in a long bearing. Before pouring the metal composing the lining C, I prepare the inside of the shell B by treating it with acids, the same as is usually done in galvanizing with zinc, while the spindle A will be smoked or otherwise treated to prevent the lining G from adhering to it. When thus prepared, the spindle is placed inside of the shell, and both may be heated to nearly the melting-point of the metal composing the lining C, which is then introduced in a molten state between the two pieces, thus forming a smooth and perfectly-fitting surface or bearing for the spindle A.

In casting the tapering spindle A there will be formed upon it an enlargement, a', near the the enlargement a of the spindle A, and upon the inner [wall of this cup or enlargement b are formed the inwardly-projecting.ridges b. These ridges b are formed in casting the shell B, and they are so arranged relatively to the position of the ridges a as to stand between them or break joints therewith, as shown in Fig. l. After thespindle Aand shell B are put together the space between the ridges on both sides will be filled with Babbitt or equivalent metal, so that the ridges will thus be embedded in the Babbitt metal so it serves to hold or couple the spindle and shell together.

When it is desired to remove the spindle from the shell, this can be done by heating the enlargement b of the shell to melt the Babbitt metal around the ridges only, thus not affecting the main part of the lining, and when the spindle is to be replaced itis only necessary to refill the enlargement b with Babbitt metal.

The spindle A has the oil-groove c formed in it, which is continued at one end to the oilpassage c', cast in the stem of the spindle A, and at the other end to the center of point of spindle, connecting with the oil-passage d, cast in the stem of shell B. Thespindle A, having been placed in the shell B and the lining metal poured between them, is withdrawn and the oil-groove on its surface cut out with a milling-tool, thus making a continuous oilway. The ends may be closed with screw-plugs, and oil may be introduced at the oil-hole ein stem of shell B. When the spindle has been finished, that part of the .oil-groove crossing the annular ridges and to be under the holding babbitt should be filled with black-lead or bone-ash underlaid with a piece of corkscrewwire, which should extend to the outer end of stem. This filling prevents the babbitt from entering the oil-channel. Withdrawing the wire removes the filling stuff.

In the space between the shell B and the hub or wheel D is placed a soft packing, f, to prelOO vent escape of oil, and this packing is held in place by several iiat coiled springs, f', that encircle the packing like bracelets, each spring being only a little longer than the other to reach once around, and several of these springs are to be put on, one on the back ot' the other, so they will hold the packing snugly in place.

The mechanical effect of the union of the spindle A and the shell B, as described, is that ot' a long tapering splice the Whole length of the axle between the wheels, each piece containing but a little more metal than would be in one-half of a solid axle, so distributed as to make each piece half as stiil as a solid axle, so that when the two are put together in the form of a long taper, one inside ofthe other, and litting nicely the whole length, the one cannot be bent without the other, so that the axle is as strong, durable, and reliable as a solid axle, while at the same time it possesses the advantage of permitting one wheel to revolve independently of the other.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A twopart axle consisting of a shell having projections or ridges on its inner surface near one end, a spindle fitting in the shell and having projections or ridges breaking joints with the projections or ridges of the shell, and a lling of soft metal, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. A two-part axle consisting of the shell B, provided with the enlargement b, having ridges b', the tapering spindle A, provided with the enlargement a', having the ridges a, and the `soft-metal filling C, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. The packiugf, placed between the hub D and the end of the shell B and held in place by an encircling spring,f, substantially as dcscribed.

4. The spindle A,formed with the oil-grooves c c', in combination with the shell B, formed with the oil -groove d, substantially as described.

ISAAC XV. LEVIS.

Vitnesses:

EUGENE D. WHITE, SIDNEY C. CUTCHING. 

